Question

Butterwort   I bought this butterwort online and it got lost in the mail for a week so it looked pretty sad when it arrived then after careful unpacking it fell right out of the pot when I asked the company I was told this was because that roots are so close to the surface so I put in back on top of the soil. I have had it since Monday night and everyday it looks a little worse. Do you have an advice on how to save this plant? Are these hard to grow?

Answer
Hi Becky,

I can tell this is a Mexican butterwort variety, and yes, they are easy to grow.  (Is this Pinguicula x "Gina"?  Always be sure to include the actual name of a plant when submitting a question since care varies wildly among different species.)  It's common for these to come out of soil in shipping since they tend to have very shallow roots.

What you need to do is make sure the roots are actually in the soil, however.  If it's just sitting on top it's not getting enough water.  What you can do is lift the plants up, fluff the soil some, then place them back down and firm the soil around them.  Keep these plants damp, but not waterlogged.  They should only have a very shallow amount of water in their tray, an let them use it up before adding more.  Here's more general growing information on Mexican Butterworts:  http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com/Articles.asp?ID=263

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.growcarnivorousplants.com